We enjoy seasonal fruits and explore the possibilities of incorporating a variety of fruits in our recipes. In May we enjoyed mangoes and now is the time to play with peaches. Summer is not over yet, and peaches are still available in abundance and at a great price. Peaches are such a a versatile fruit that can be used to make chutneys, ice-cream, pies, tart and the list can go on.
As ice cream is Sujata’s weak point, we decided to make homemade peach ice-cream. The creamy texture and sweet and slightly tart flavor of peaches add a subtle but signature flavor to this ice cream. The homemade custard is a must to achieve the ultimate creaminess of this ice cream – trust us, now is not the time to cut corners. We also added cream cheese to compliment the sweet and tart flavor of the peaches.
If you make this Fresh Peaches and Cream Ice Cream, drop a comment and/or give it a rating! We’d love to hear how it turns out. Also, if you make this recipe, make sure to tag us on Instagram!
Fresh Peaches and Cream Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 peaches medium-sized, ripe
- 8 oz full fat cream cheese softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 1 cup half-and-half (half cream and half regular milk), if not available use whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar divided
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 egg yolks
Instructions
- Rinse the peaches under running water, pat dry and peel them. Cut the peaches into half and remove the pits. Then chop the peaches into small pieces.
- Add the peach pieces to a medium sauté pan and cook them on medium heat until most of the liquid evaporates. The peaches should look soft and mushy. Set the peaches aside to completely cool down. Please do not skip this step as the liquid content in the fresh peaches will crystalize in the ice cream and it will destroy the creamy texture of ice-cream. We learned this the hard way.
- Whisk the softened cream cheese with a ¼ cup heavy whipping cream until smooth. Set it aside.
- Whisk together the remaining heavy whipping cream, the half-and-half, half the sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to just a boil.
- While the milk/cream is heating, combine the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl. Beat with a wire whisk or hand mixer on low speed for about 2-4 minutes or until it’s pale and thick.
- Once the milk/cream mixture is about to boil, whisk ⅓ of it into the egg yolk mixture and stir continuously so that the egg yolks don’t scramble. Add another ⅓ of the milk/cream mixture and continue to whisk until the egg yolk mixture is smooth.
- Return the egg yolk mixture to the milk/cream mixture in the saucepan. Keep the heat low and continuously stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the wooden spoon's back. The process should take only a few minutes. The mixture MUST NOT boil; otherwise, the egg yolks will overcook and the mixture will be lumpy. Constant stirring and low heat is the key. Set the mixture aside until it cools down to room temperature.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to the milk/cream/egg yolk mixture and refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
- Turn on your ice cream maker, pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let it churn until the mixture thickens. It takes about 20 minutes.
- Add the cooked peaches to the churning mixture to add texture to the ice-cream. Let it churn for 1 to 2 minutes then turn the ice cream maker off. Transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container and place it in a freezer for at least two hours before serving.
